


My Love Story With A Clumsy Wizard

by dojaefairy



Category: JBJ (Band), NU'EST, Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Magic, Romance, side Kim Sanggyun/Takada Kenta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-03-09 16:20:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18920647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dojaefairy/pseuds/dojaefairy
Summary: Daniel's apartment is haunted by a ghost, and it seems that the only person with supernatural abilities he can find on the university campus to help him is the clumsiest wizard on Earth, Kim Donghan.But did Donghan really have to be so cute (?!) because now, Daniel wants to know more about him!





	My Love Story With A Clumsy Wizard

**Author's Note:**

> \- this fic is set in South Korea but in a reality where same-sex relationships are totally fine  
> \- i don't know how hwangsung happened i swear it wasn't me  
> \- i love onghwan  
> \- brotp ongniel and brotp ongnielhwan are the Best  
> \- btw onghwang are cousins  
> \- i love nielhan and this was supposed to be short and fluffy and it turned into a monster

Daniel let out a loud sigh as the bathroom door opened it on its own with a creaking noise. Seongwoo stopped slurping his noodles, letting half of them fall down comically on his chin. He turned towards the bathroom door, his eyes widening.

"Dude, what the fuck," he managed to articulate after gulping down his noodles.

"I know," Daniel sighed again.

"That door was closed," Seongwoo insisted.

"I know," Daniel repeated, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's the ghost."

"What do you mean? You have a ghost in your appartment?"

As if on clue, a loud moan escaped from the bathroom, and a wall started trembling. The shaking went on for a good ten seconds, and suddenly stopped.

"I do," Daniel admitted, "I don't know why or how but it's been there for almost a month. I've tried talking to it but nothing works, it just insists on being noisy. At least it never attacked me or anything, but it's really loud."

Seongwoo finished his cup noodles and drank some water, and nodded in understanding. Daniel munched on some snacks, and let his head fall on his best friend's shoulder.

"You wouldn't happen to know an exorcist, would you?"

"Actually I do know of someone who could help," Seongwoo answered after a few seconds of thinking. Daniel sat up in excitement, and took hold of Seongwoo's hands.

"For real?!"

Seongwoo nodded.

"I have never met him personally but my cousin who also studies in our university had a problem similar to yours and he got help from the guy. He was a little weird, from what he told me, but he took care of the issue just fine."

"Is he an exorcist?" Daniel inquired, slightly intimidated.

"I'm not sure, I think he's more of a wizard? It can be worth a shot though. Do you want me to ask Minhyun for his contact?"

"Please," Daniel agreed, "I'm getting so sick of the creaking noises and the moans."

"Aw, come here," Seongwoo opened his arms, and Daniel hid his face in his neck. "I'll text Minhyun tonight, I should have the info tomorrow at the latest."

"You're my savior," Daniel whined.

"Wait until you've gotten rid of that ghost to say that. Do you want to come over at my place tonight to sleep in peace for once?"

"Sure, I'd love that."

 

And that was how Daniel came to meet Kim Donghan. Their first contact was through texting, and the guy seemed pretty normal to Daniel. They agreed on meeting in a coffee shop on a Friday afternoon, and Daniel arrived in advance, feeling nervous.

He took out his phone and scrolled through his various social media, more out of habit rather out of real interest. He wondered if Donghan would be able to undo whatever curse the ghost in his apartment was carrying. Minhyun, Seongwoo's cousin, had been victim of a curse caused by a witch whose love confession he had rejected. Furious, she had created an invisible barrier that made it impossible for Minhyun's boyfriend, Jisung, to approach him. Donghan had apparently discarded the curse pretty easily, and Minhyun was now stuck to his boyfriend more than ever.

Daniel checked the time. It was still five minutes early before their meeting time, so Donghan wasn't late. He was feeling thirsty, so he got up and ordered an iced coffee, in which he added probably enough sugar to make his dentist faint on the spot. He went back to the chair where he had settled, and looked at the people walking in the street. It was a nice day, so it made sense that many students were walking, whether as a group of friends, as couples or alone.

Daniel wished he had come here for a date and not for an appointment with a wizard because of a ghost problem. It'd be nice to hang out here with a boyfriend, he thought as he took another sip of his over-sweet coffee. Someone suddenly appeared next to him, making him jump in surprise.

"Hi, I'm Donghan!"

Daniel, fortunately, was not drinking, and he merely choked on air. He didn't even look up to see what Donghan was looking like, too busy not to die.

"Oh shoot, dude, sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you. Are you okay?" Donghan apologized, patting Daniel's back.

Daniel regained his breath with difficulty, and nodded. Once he was sure he was completely fine, he took a huge sip of his coffee. In the meantime, Donghan had sat in front of him, a sheepish look on his face from having startled Daniel.

"Sorry," Donghan reiterated, and Daniel waved a hand.

"It's fine, I was just a little surprised. I'm Daniel, nice to meet you."

"Donghan," Donghan repeated, shaking Daniel's hand. "Likewise. Do you mind waiting just a sec? I'd like to get a drink, I just finished class."

"Go ahead," Daniel nodded, and Donghan shot him a smile before getting up.

It seemed to Daniel that he almost slipped doing so, but it was so quick he had barely seen it.

Daniel took some time to stare at Donghan's back. He was about as tall as Daniel himself, and he was wearing a bright pink jacket with blue jeans. His hair was short and dyed in gray, which suited him a lot. As Donghan was coming back from the counter with his drink, Daniel stared at his face as discreetly as possible. He was really, _really_ handsome, with sharp features which his haircut highlighted. Under the bright pink jacket, he was wearing a simple white shirt, but his clothes were fitting his body type just fine. He had cute, round brown eyes, and if Daniel wasn't mistaken, he was wearing some sparkly, gray eye make up.

Oh, wow.

Were all wizards this cute? Were they also gay and single? Daniel let himself fanboy inwardly, before remembering the witch who had cursed Minhyun. Right, dating a witch or a wizard sounded dangerous after all. But Donghan broke Minhyun's curse, he reminded himself. Actually, if he had been able to cancel it, it probably meant he would also be able to create a similar one.

Stop, Daniel scolded himself. This is not a date, and you're not here to stare at his cute face. Donghan took several sips of his tea, and sighed in pleasure, clearly appreciating the drink. He then took out a notebook and a pen from his bag, and looked at Daniel.

"Okay, so you apparently have a ghost in your apartment, is that right?"

Daniel nodded, suddenly feeling intimidated.

"I think so. I mean, I can't see ghosts but it seemed like a ghost."

Donghan wrote down a few things in the notebook, and suddenly started staring at Daniel. Daniel couldn't help but blush, all the more as Donghan's eyes seemed to change to a more sparkly version of themselves.

"Do-do I have something on my face?" he stuttered.

Donghan shook his head negatively, and the sparkle in his eyes left.

"I'm trying to check whether that ghost left something on you, but it's barely there. It's probably not an evil spirit," he commented. He didn't sound bothered at all by Daniel's issue. He sipped on more tea, but Daniel felt more nervous than before.

"Are you an exorcist?" he asked, curious.

"Me?" Donghan said, raising an eyebrow. "Nah. My mom is one though, and my dad's a wizard. You can refer to me as a wizard."

He moved his left arm and knocked his tea cup, making it fall from the table. Daniel instinctively knew neither would be quick enough to get it before it fell on the floor, but Donghan snapped the fingers from his right hand and the drink got stuck mid-way in the air, both the container as well as the liquid.

"Shoot," Donghan mildly swore.

He moved his right hand and the drink came back on the table. This time, he carefully put it against the window, visibly hoping he wouldn't knock it all over his notebook. Daniel had watched the whole action with wide eyes, and Donghan caught his dumbfounded eyes. He made a face, and ran his left hand in his hair.

"I might have a small clumsiness issue," he stated, sounding like he was used to it.

"Didn't you almost fall on the floor when you went to get a drink earlier too?" Daniel asked, half in awe, half-worried.

"Oh, you saw that?" Donghan asked, and it seemed like he was a bit embarrassed. "I found my balance right back before falling, though."

Daniel didn't want to make him more embarrassed, so instead he took more coffee. Donghan drank more tea, carefully, and he glanced at his notes.

"I mean, there's not much to comment on. I guess the best would be for me to go to your place so I can help you get rid of the ghost."

"It's that easy?" Daniel asked, a little amazed.

Donghan smiled, and nodded.

"Yeah."

"Err, then, should we go now?"

Donghan's smile turned into a forced one.

"Hold on."

Daniel lost his own smile and watched as Donghan started messing with his bag, apparently looking for something.

"Do you mind if I go to my place first? I actually didn't bring any tools and I don't know if I can do it with my magic alone."

Daniel sighed in relief. If that's all it was, then it wasn't too bad. It was nearing 4pm anyway, so they had plenty of time ahead of them. If everything went well, Daniel was even considering treating Donghan to dinner, as a thank you for his help. Totally not as a date, nope.

“I can come with you,” Daniel answered, “I mean, if you don’t mind,” he added, realizing he might have been over-stepping his boundaries.

“Sure,” Donghan replied, smiling brightly again.

They left the coffee shop and headed for Donghan's apartment, which was a good fifteen minute walk away. Daniel followed Donghan and tried to keep the conversation going, really curious about Donghan himself and his activities. But Donghan was staying vague, and Daniel didn't want to annoy him, so they soon fell quiet at they kept walking.

They finally reached the building, and took the elevator to the sixth floor. There, they exited it and headed to the right. Donghan's door had a shiny 66 on it, and seemed perfectly normal. However, Donghan did not open it right away. Instead, he raised his left hand, and drew a circle in the air with his palm. Daniel had no magical powers, and he guessed that it was why he saw nothing appear, but Donghan seemed to be interacting with whatever it was that he had drawn. It was brief, but soon there was an audible click, and the door handle moved on its own.

Donghan mumbled something Daniel didn't catch, and he entered first. Daniel wondered if he was allowed inside, and got the answer to his silent question right away as Donghan turned to him and said "Come on in." Daniel stepped inside, feeling shy. He couldn't help but gasp as he took in the view before him.

 

Donghan's apartment was filled with books, piles of them everywhere. There were also sheets filled with notes Daniel couldn't understand because they were in languages he had never seen before. On the walls, there were surprisingly quite a few posters of some rock and pop bands, as well as some Star Wars ones, which were kind of the only things that showed a young adult lived there.

Donghan had built a small laboratory in a corner of the living room, and countless bottles filled with unknown liquids were messily splattered here and there. The wall next to it was filled with pentagrams and other invocation spells, which made Daniel shiver. The doors to what Daniel assumed were Donghan's room and the bathroom were closed, and the kitchen seemed surprisingly clean and book free.

Daniel waited as Donghan went to his room, and decided not to be nosy, so he didn't follow him and instead stood awkwardly in the living room. He looked up, and froze once again as he felt observed. He couldn't see anything, but it was as though something was staring at him. His mind pictured all kinds of scary, invisible creatures, and he prayed that it wouldn't attack him.

Daniel's focus was broken as he heard Donghan swear, followed by a loud noise. This time, Daniel dared venture further into Donghan's flat, and he peeked through the door.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a small voice.

"I'm fine, I just fell," Donghan grumbled.

Daniel caught sight of him, indeed on the floor, what seemed to be a wizard cape under him. Daniel stepped inside the room, and held his hand towards Donghan to help him up. Donghan grabbed his hand and got up. He sighed audibly, and discarded the cape in a corner of the room. He turned to his wardrobe, which was filled with everything but clothes, and got out a few items he threw on his bed. Daniel shifted awkwardly on his feet, waiting for Donghan to be done gathering all of his items. Donghan fetched a bag from under his bed, and threw everything in there.

"Okay, we're good to go."

Daniel nodded, and walked out first. Donghan followed suit, locked the door with a spell, and they were outside the building in a few minutes. They rode a bus to Daniel's apartment complex, and it seemed like this time Donghan was more enclined to chat. He even played music on his phone and offered an earbud to Daniel, who accepted with glee. They listened to a few songs and talked about the singers, and reached Daniel's stop.

Daniel led the way this time, and he opened the door to his apartment with shaky hands. Donghan seemed as unbothered as he had first appeared to be when Daniel had brought up the possibility of a ghost haunting his place. Daniel entered, and Donghan carefully stepped in. There was no visible or audible sign of the ghost. Daniel suddenly thought about the ghost going somewhere else right when he had brought Donghan, and he swore inwardly.

"Why isn't it doing anything?" Daniel whined.

"It's there," Donghan said, "it noticed I was dangerous for him."

Daniel looked at him, speechless.

"It's not powerful at all," Donghan commented, but it sounded like he was talking to himself rather than to Daniel. "It'll be a piece of cake sending it to the afterlife for good. Is there anywhere you can sit while I take care of it?"

Daniel, still astounded, sat on his couch obediently.

Donghan got in the middle of his living room, and raised both hands. His left one remained unmoving while he did complex movements with his right hand, articulating a spell in a language Daniel couldn't understand. Daniel watched him do so, in awe that he had a wizard doing real magic in his home. Donghan finally stopped his right hand, opened his palm, and closed it suddenly.

A howl filled the room, gradually getting louder and louder, to a point Daniel had to cover his ears. Donghan glanced at his bag, and it started levitating in the air. A short sword came out of it on its own, and Donghan grabbed it with his right hand. He stuck it in the air, where he had been drawing complex circles, and turned it as though it was a key.

Daniel looked again, but he didn't see anything except for Donghan and his sword. Donghan articulated something aloud, and slowly removed his sword from the invisible circle. He kept staring at the circle, and finally relaxed.

"It's gone for good," Donghan said.

He snapped his fingers and Daniel guessed it had made something disappear. Donghan put back the short sword in his bag, and looked around, checking if he had missed anything. He nodded to himself.

"We're good."

"I have no idea what you did but it if works, thank you so much!" Daniel finally remembered how to speak, and he got up excitedly.

Donghan's face was rather somber, which made Daniel think twice about the dinner offer, but he decided to go, through it nevertheless.

"Can I buy you dinner as a thank you?" Daniel asked, "unless you want money, of course, which is also fine," he added quickly, seeing as Donghan seemed to shrink on himself at the mention of getting dinner together with Daniel.

"I don't need money for such a service, it was really nothing. I'll take you up on that dinner offer, though."

Despite agreeing, Donghan seemed to be debating it. Daniel bit his lower lip, hoping that he hadn't made him too uncomfortable. He checked the time on his phone, and grinned seeing it was barely 6pm. They could still hang out before their meal! He was about to ask Donghan whether he'd like to watch a movie or play video games when the wizard actually collected his stuff and headed for the door.

"I'll go home now and I'll meet you at 8, okay?"

Daniel tried very, very hard not to let his great disappointment show. He waved at Donghan, and sighed loudly when the door closed. He went to his room and flopped on his bed, and took out his phone to text Seongwoo.

  
**Niel**

seongwooooooooo

**Ong Ong**

yes

**Niel**

it's gone! the ghost is gone!

 **Ong Ong**  
  
ooooooooh

nice

we can have sleepovers again bro

how was the ghostbuster

**Niel**

nice ig?

but also

he was soooo hot

**Ong Ong**

brooooo

how hot

hotter than me?

**Niel**

hmmmm equivalent, maybe slightly more

**Ong Ong**

bro

 

**Niel**

no look he's slightly hotter because i could be into him but

u know u got those crazy good visuals

**Ong Ong**

thank you Niel i actually low key want to cry now

 

**Niel**

awww

**Ong Ong**

ur also very hot and im sure ur not leaving him indifferent!

u got his number rite

maybe try asking him on a date?

  
**Niel**

actually we're having dinner together tonight...

i wanted him to stay but he said he had to go home TT

**Ong Ong**

NICE MOVE

reel him in

do it

**Niel**

lmao bro

he seemed weird when I asked him tho

like he wanted to say yes but also wanted to keep his distance???

he acted like that the whole time

once he'd smile, and right next after he'd be all silent

**Ong Ong**

ok sounds like he's into you

**Niel**

how???

**Ong Ong**

he thinks ur cute but because u just met he doesnt want to admit that his feelings for you could lead to something so he wants to act distant to evaluate the situation but sometimes his acting fails because ur!! too!! cute!!

**Niel**

bro

how did u even think of all that

**Ong Ong**

Jaehwan and i watched a movie where the characters were acting like that

**Niel**

oh

well it could work... what should i do now TT

  
**Ong Ong**

go on your date with the guy

act like yourself, smile a lot, try to make him laugh

that should be a good beginning

if u have a good feeling about it, try asking him if he'd like to keep texting and maybe meet up again

**Niel**

Seongwoo ilysm ur a life saver

**Ong Ong**

ily222

get him

and update me on the situation!

**Niel**

ofc!!!!

actually do u wanna come over until i have to go to my date TT

  
**Ong Ong**

ur lucky i just got done with an essay and am dying for a break lol ill be there soon

  
  
Daniel and Seongwoo spent the next hour and a half playing videos games while chatting about Donghan before the conversation focused on Jaehwan, Seongwoo's boyfriend. He was also a close friend of Daniel, so Daniel knew him well.

The couple's six months anniversary was approaching and Seongwoo wanted to do something nice and memorable but he had no idea what to do besides a classic date at the restaurant. He also was clueless about what kind of gift he wanted to give Jaehwan. Daniel remembered one of his conversations with Jaehwan and how he had shared those same issues with him.

"I think that knowing Jaehwan, it would be perfect to bring him to a concert. Maybe you can split up the organization of your anniversary? You take care of picking a concert that fits both your tastes and he can be in charge of dinner afterwards."

"That sounds actually good," Seongwoo marveled, "and it's pretty memorable!"

Daniel grinned. He could tell Seongwoo loved the idea. He was excited for his best friend, as if it was his own anniversary date. Daniel's phone lit up with a new notification: it was Donghan, who was asking him if Japanese food was okay with him.

"Tell him about your seafood allergy," Seongwoo commented, looking over Daniel's shoulder to read his texts, "it'd suck to end at the hospital on the first date."

"Yup, don't worry," Daniel nodded before letting Donghan know that indeed, he had a seafood allergy, but that he was fine with beef, chicken or pork based meals.

Donghan gave him the address of a restaurant, and Daniel saw that he should be leaving now if he wanted to be on time.

"Thank you so much for your advice and for coming over," Daniel told Seongwoo as they were preparing to leave.

"You're very welcome! You also helped me well with my anniversary with Jaehwan."

"I'm just being nice to get an invitation to the wedding for free food," Daniel teased.

"As if you wouldn't be my best man," Seongwoo rolled his eyes, "and that'll mean actually helping to plan the wedding, so don't think you'll slack off."

Daniel made a face.

"Anyway, you're not getting married next week, so for now I'm good."

They separated at the bus stop after a big hug, each going their way.

* * *

Daniel met Donghan at the restaurant at 8pm sharp. Donghan was wearing the same clothes as earlier, and he still looked cute. Daniel smiled nervously and they sat together at a table. Donghan looked a lot more relaxed with food, and Daniel noticed with amazement that Donghan, similarly to him, loved eating, and ate lots.

Daniel did like Seongwoo had told him: he smiled and laughed a lot (he did that on a daily basis on his own just fine) and tried to charm Donghan. They were having alcohol too, but neither Donghan or Daniel were getting drunk, not even tipsy.

After Daniel had paid for the food, they slowly made their way out of the restaurant. Daniel didn't want to leave Donghan just yet, and offered that they strolled for a bit. Donghan agreed, and even walked close to him, their fingers sometimes brushing.

"I was craving Japanese food," Donghan whined cutely as they were heading to a nearby river in a park, "my best friend's Japanese so we often eat Japanese food but I just love it so much."

"More than Korean food?" Daniel teased.

Donghan actually took time thinking about it, and shook his head.

"No, not more than Korean."

Daniel giggled.

  
They reached the river, and Daniel saw a bench. They headed towards it, and Daniel sat up just fine, but Donghan slipped. Daniel opened his arms by reflex, and went "oof" as Donghan fell on his lap. Donghan was heavier than he looked. Donghan clung to him as soon as he fell on his lap, resulting in him hugging Daniel's shoulders very tightly, like a koala. Daniel blushed violently feeling Donghan against him, and all the more as Donghan whined in embarrassment in his neck.

"I'm so sorry," he said in a high pitched voice.

"You're fine," Daniel answered, but his blush wouldn't leave his cheeks.

Donghan carefully untangled himself from around Daniel, and sat up next to him on the bench. Daniel noticed with glee that Donghan's cheeks were pink, and he knew it wasn't the alcohol.

"Is it natural or is it a curse?" Daniel asked, "your clumsiness, I mean."

Donghan hid his face briefly, and coughed.

“It's natural."

"Has it ever caused you problems when doing magic?"

"All the time. When I was a kid learning how to control my powers, I always made everything worse by trying to help. I'd make tempests appear out of nowhere instead of soft blowing spells, and I burnt the house once. Even now, I keep messing up enchantments and even more invocation spells, those are the worst for me. I summoned a demon by accident not too long ago!"

Daniel was mind-blown. Donghan was such a dangerous person for himself, but it was simply fascinating. Donghan noticed Daniel's sparkling eyes on him, and he blushed more. Daniel hoped he wasn't looking too intoxicated or too lovestruck. The more he stared at Donghan and talked to him, the more he felt feelings for him emerge.

"You're amazing," Daniel said, and Donghan looked very embarrassed.

"I don't see how," Donghan denied, but Daniel could tell he was just shy.

But he didn't want to push Donghan too much. He didn't know him well.

"Do you wanna see some magic? I mean, one that's not used against ghosts," Donghan suddenly offered.

Daniel beamed.

"If you don't mind showing me, I'd love that!"

Donghan got up and he shushed Daniel when he saw the older about to ask him if he could stand up on his own. Daniel felt his heart soften at Donghan pouting.

Donghan cleared his throat, and glanced around them, looking for something to manipulate. His face brightened when he caught sight of leaves covering the ground, and he snapped his fingers. Daniel watched with awe as the leaves obeyed Donghan's magic and went up in the air at once. Donghan made them move with both hands, up until they created the shape of a lion. Daniel let out a gasp, and he froze when Donghan clasped his hands together and the lion seemed to come to life. The leaf animal approached Daniel, and put its gigantic head on his lap. Daniel's eyes found Donghan's, who was smiling.

"You can pet it, it's just a bunch of leaves put together."

Trusting the wizard, Daniel hesitantly hovered his hand above the lion's head. The lion purred loudly as Daniel petted him, and Daniel laughed. Donghan clapped and the lion disappeared, and all the leaves stayed suspended in the air, waiting for the wizard's next instructions. He merely made them float back to their original place, and grinned at Daniel.

"Come, I'll show you something even cooler," he said.

Daniel got up and followed Donghan to the river. They were both leaning on the barrier that separated the river from the park, and Donghan made a motion with his left hand. The water boiled, and rose up to take the shape of a first seal, then a second and finally a third. Donghan made a ball appear, also water shaped, and he snapped his fingers. The seals started playing with the ball, juggling with it or sending it to each other while howling happily.

"That's amazing," Daniel whispered, in awe, "I've never seen anything like that, I don't even know how to tell you how incredible this is."

He looked at Donghan, and noticed with appreciation that Donghan was blushing.

"That's not even a tenth of what I can do," Donghan mumbled.

"It's unbelievable to me," Daniel said, honest.

Daniel's gaze focused on Donghan's mouth as the latter bit his lower lip. He has nice lips, Daniel thought to himself. Donghan cleared his throat, and that was when Daniel noticed that they had started leaning towards each other. Donghan turned to look at the seals, and Daniel imitated him. The water creatures were still happily playing, and when they noticed the two young men's eyes back on them, they squealed and played harder than before.

"So, err, what do you study?" Daniel asked, realizing he hadn't asked that yet.

"Chemistry, physics and astronomy," Donghan answered, leaning over the barrier to pet one of the seals that had come closer.

Daniel gaped. Those subjects sounded way too complex. Donghan caught his dumbfounded expression, and giggled.

"Yeah, it's not very common. I like it, though. When I was a kid, I wanted to become a singer and a dancer, but then singing and dancing became hobbies."

Daniel nodded in understanding.

"You must be very clever, then," he commented.

"Not especially," Donghan replied, blushing, "I just study a lot and I have a good memory. What do you study?"

"Dance and music composition, plus rap making."

Donghan whistled.

"That's so cool, you're a real artist."

It was Daniel's turn to blush.

"I guess you can say that, yeah."

"Did your parents say anything about your choice to choose an artistic path?"

"My mom was fine with it. At first, actually, she was kind of skeptical, but then, seeing as it made me happy and how it was the best path for me, she started encouraging me."

"That's so nice," Donghan smiled.

He leaned back so as not to fall in the river. The seal joined the others to keep playing.

"But do you even have to study, given you have your powers? Couldn't you have a career that's linked to magic?" Daniel wondered aloud.

"My parents wanted to me have at least an undergraduate degree," Donghan shrugged, "so I picked subjects I didn't mind studying. I don't know yet what I'm gonna do in the future."

"Oh, okay."

They remained silent, watching the seals fight over the ball. Donghan sighed, and made the seals disappear. Daniel observed him, not sure of what was going to happen next. Donghan stared at the water for a few seconds, and looked up, glancing around them. Daniel followed his eyes, not understanding what he was doing. The wizard raised his left hand, and moved his fingers.

Daniel watched with amazement as the lights from the street lamps left those, and floated towards them, following one another. Donghan made them create a circle above their heads, like a crown of light. They were both looking up, smiles on their faces. Daniel glanced at Donghan, and gulped down seeing that the soft smile that had spread on his lips complemented his face so well. He looked up again, marveling at how the lights looked like fireflies.

 

Donghan released them from the circle, and they exploded in a similar fashion to a firework. Some went up in trees, trembling as if confused, others flew to their lamps right away, and the last ones illuminated the water, seemingly running on the surface like tiny beings. Donghan got closer to Daniel, who was still gaping.

"Did you enjoy the magic show?" Donghan asked, licking his lips that had gotten too dry.

This distracted Daniel, who stared at Donghan's mouth a few seconds too much.

"Yeah, yeah, definitely," Daniel stuttered, "I could watch you do that the whole day."

Donghan laughed, and his eyesmile made Daniel's heart soften. Donghan looked so desirable right now, and he wondered about kissing him, but held back. What he had with the wizard was fragile, barely there. He didn't want to ruin it. He still indulged himself into imagining what kissing Donghan's soft looking lips would feel like, and snapped back to reality.

"I had a fun night," Donghan said, "it hadn't happened to me after a job in forever."

Daniel grinned.

"I had fun too. Would you like to meet again like this? I'd love to become friends with you."

Daniel noted with a hint of worry that Donghan tensed at that, but the tension was gone in a few seconds. Daniel wondered if he had imagined the flash of hurt in Donghan's eyes, or if it had really been there.

"Sure, you're a fun person to be with," Donghan agreed.

Daniel smiled back. 

They walked to the nearest bus stop, and Daniel hugged Donghan to him before his bus arrived. Donghan hugged him back, and they promised to keep texting. Daniel felt on cloud nine as he was making his way back home, and texted Seongwoo to tell him about the whole night in detail. Seongwoo was probably already asleep, Daniel thought as he checked the time and saw that it was over midnight. He pocketed his phone as he arrived to his stop, and hoped he would dream of Donghan.

* * *

He woke up the following morning after a dream that ended up being him and Donghan kissing after chasing ghosts in a grayevard, which was quite a peculiar dream to have. Seongwoo had answered his texts and he was as excited, if not more, than Daniel himself.

It was Saturday and Daniel was actually supposed to meet with Seongwoo again, but this time with Jaehwan as well, to go watch a movie in the evening. They were planning on getting dinner before, and Daniel was enthusiastic to spend time with his closest friends. He had to get some cleaning and studying done so as to go to the movie theater while not feeling guilty, though.

As he was getting an early lunch (he hadn't had breakfast), Seongwoo texted him to ask Donghan if he'd like to come with them, "like a double date," Seongwoo added with a winking emoji. Daniel debated asking Donghan or not. They had already seen each other yesterday, would it really be okay to see each other again? He didn't mind, but he wasn't sure about Donghan.

"Just ask him. It costs nothing and if he says no then you can try again later," Seongwoo comforted him. Daniel encouraged himself and thought that sending a message as soon as possible would be better.

He sent the message and washed his dishes while anxiously sending looks at his phone. Donghan answered a good fifteen minutes, agreeing to the dinner and movie plans. Daniel let out a scream of happiness and immediately texted him back, telling him he was delighted to get to spend more time with him, and how he couldn't wait for Donghan to meet his best friends. He let Seongwoo know that Donghan would be joining them and his best friend cheered. The afternoon went by painfully slowly, but the time to leave his apartment finally came.

  
Daniel took way more time than truly necessary to pick his outfit for the evening. He wanted to look good to impress Donghan, clearly, but also he didn't want to look too overdressed. He couldn't decide whether he should use gel to push his hair up or just left his bangs cover his forehead, and sighed when realizing that he was getting worked up over literally nothing.

In the end, he chose to gel up his hair and trust in the power of seduction of his forehead, and went as far as to highlight his eyes with some eyeliner. He went with what he hoped was a casual style, a deep blue shirt with intricate patterns on it (a gift from Seongwoo) and a white vest, as well as blue jeans. He added a necklace his mother had given him, and nodded to himself. He looked good.

 

Donghan was the first one arrived, and Daniel hugged him briefly to greet him. Donghan also had pushed up hair and most importantly, he had a leather jacket that fitted him to a T. Daniel almost choked when noticing that under his red shirt with a deep V neck, Donghan was wearing a mesh shirt. The combination of it all assorted to his tight black jeans made him look better than ever, and he had that sparkly make up again, this time pinkish. Daniel didn't know if Donghan dressed like that on a daily basis or if he just enjoyed looking good, but Daniel was loving his fashion sense.

"You look stunning," Daniel told him, not hiding that he was admiring his outfit.

Gay, his subconscious snorted. Shut up, he snapped. Donghan giggled, and smiled brightly. Daniel felt blind for a few seconds.

"Thank you, you look really good too. It almost feels like you dressed up to go on a date," Donghan replied, and sirens started blaring in Daniel's mind.

He hoped his blush wasn't too visible, and he coughed.

"Ah, really?" he laughed awkwardly.

Donghan kept smiling, and Daniel felt sweat roll down his neck.

 

Fortunately, it was at that moment Seongwoo and Jaehwan arrived. They stopped holding hands the moment Jaehwan rushed to Daniel to hug him tightly, screaming happily as if they hadn't seen each other in years. Daniel hugged him back with glee, and Seongwoo pushed his boyfriend to hug Daniel as well. Daniel returned his best friend's embrace, feeling so happy to see him.

"Donghan, this is Seongwoo and Jaehwan, and guys, this is Donghan," Daniel introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Jaehwan and Seongwoo said at the same time, before laughing as they realized it.

Donghan smiled politely, and Daniel could tell he was feeling slightly tense.

"How about heading to the restaurant for now, and we can keep talking once we're there?" Jaehwan offered, and all agreed. He and Seongwoo held hands again, and Daniel wished he could do the same with Donghan. To his surprise, Donghan linked arms with him mid-way, not interrupting the conversation he had going on with Jaehwan about a video game that had come out recently. Daniel's heart fluttered in his chest, and he kept Donghan close to him.

 

They entered the restaurant; Seongwoo sat next to Jaehwan, facing Daniel, while Donghan took the seat next to Daniel.

"Double date," Seongwoo mouthed to Daniel as Donghan wasn't looking.

Daniel shushed him. He hoped Donghan hadn't caught that, and suddenly shivered at the thought that maybe Donghan was a mind reader and he could see Daniel's highly gay thoughts towards him ever since they had met. But Donghan was chatting with Jaehwan and didn't seem to have noticed Seongwoo and Daniel's whispers. Seongwoo had led then to a Korean restaurant that he had visited a few times with his family, and whose food, he assured, was amazing. The owners had actually recognized Seongwoo and welcomed the group with warmth earlier.

All four were really hungry and they ordered more food than four people should be able to eat. But with Donghan and Daniel especially, it was like their stomachs knew no limits. Jaehwan and Seongwoo had both slowed down on their consumption of the delicious meals the restaurant offered, but the other duo seemed determined to enjoy the food in large quantities.

"So, you helped Daniel with a ghost issue?" Jaehwan asked.

"Huh, yeah," Donghan answered hesitantly.

"Was it difficult? I have no idea how that kind of things works," Jaehwan said.

"It was fine, it wasn't an evil spirit," Donghan said, and Daniel smiled at him.

Donghan actually seemed to have a mini bug seeing that Daniel was smiling at him, and Seongwoo nudged Daniel's ankle.

"Isn't it annoying to have people ask you for help with those issues, though?" Jaehwan inquired.

"Are you worrying about me?" Donghan asked back, visibly a little shocked.

"Err, I guess?" Jaehwan answered, tilting his head.

Donghan stayed silent for a few seconds, and scratched his head.

"It's fine," he replied slowly, "I don't mind helping out a little, especially since I'm one of the few ones who actually can. Sometimes, it even allows me to meet nice people."

"Like Daniel?" Seongwoo chirped.

Daniel sent him an annoyed look. But Donghan stirred up the rest of the ramen bowl with his chopsticks, and kept staring down at his food as he answered.

"Yeah, like Daniel."

He looked up suddenly, and coughed.

"Sorry, did that sound weird?"

"Nope," Seongwoo grinned.

"Not at all," Jaehwan nodded, "Daniel's a nice kid, I can confirm."

"We're the same age," Daniel protested.

Donghan laughed at that.

"I'm more than six months older than you are," Jaehwan added, "you're a baby."

"How old are you?" Donghan asked Daniel.

"I'm 23," Daniel answered, pouting, "and so is Jaehwan!"

"Seongwoo is 24, he's kinda old but it's fine," Jaehwan teased.

Seongwoo whined.

"I'm 21," Donghan said with a little smile.

"You're the baby," Jaehwan said, nodding to himself, and Donghan snorted.

Jaehwan and Daniel argued a little more as the group decided to leave and pay. Seongwoo checked the way to the movie theatre from their position, while Jaehwan cuddled him from behind. Daniel waited as Donghan was checking his messages, and made small talk with him as they headed to the movies.

 

As they were paying for their tickets, Seongwoo suddenly went "oh!".

"Is there something wrong?" Daniel asked.

"Just saw my cousin and his boyfriend. I'll go say hi real quick!"

"Okay," Daniel said, and he watched as Seongwoo headed towards a couple.

Given his best friend hugged the taller one first, Daniel guessed that this was Minhyun. He looked remarkly good, and his face was pretty much that of an actor. He smiled seeing Seongwoo, and kept chatting with him as Seongwoo hugged his smaller boyfriend. Daniel couldn't remember his name well, something like Jisung? Daniel guessed Seongwoo was also friends with his cousin's boyfriend, as the trio chatted with enthusiasm. Seongwoo said something that made the duo blush, and finally waved them goodbye. Daniel saw the couple hold hands again and go find their seats.

"My cousin's on a date here tonight too," Seongwoo grinned as he came back, "he's so cute with his boyfriend!"

"I don't think they're cuter than us," Jaehwan intervened, crossing his arms.

"Obviously," Seongwoo nodded, leaning in close to his boyfriend to peck him on the mouth. Daniel, was who almost in between them, cleared his throat.

"I'm here?" he reminded them.

Seongwoo kissed Jaehwan again and Daniel gave up. Donghan nudged his arm.

"Do you want to get something to drink? I'm not offering food, I think we had enough."

"I'm good, thank you," Daniel beamed.

The little group finally went in to find their seats. Seongwoo snickered seeing his cousin and his boyfriend kinda in the back, but pretended he didn't see them kiss already. They found four good seats in the middle: Jaehwan sat on the far left, Seongwoo next to him, Daniel sat next to Seongwoo and finally Donghan joined Daniel. It was the best seating arrangement they could have.

As trailers for upcoming movies played, the four of them kept chatting, and they stopped (sort of) when the movie started. Daniel glanced at his best friends, and held back a snicker when he saw that they were already holding hands. He caught Jaehwan leaning on Seongwoo, resting his head on his shoulder, and shook his head while smiling. The movie kept playing, and at some point, Seongwoo leaned to whisper in Daniel's ear.

"Do I also need to hold your hand or are you gonna make a move?"

Daniel hissed as quietly as possible. Seongwoo sent him a teasing grin. Daniel had obviously thought of maybe holding Donghan's hand but... He was scared. Donghan had seemed rather open to his flirting but what if he had misread his behavior? The answer came from Donghan himself once again, as towards what Daniel guessed was the last quarter of the movie, Donghan leaned on his shoulder, similarly to Jaehwan with Seongwoo.

"Do you mind?" Donghan whispered.

"You're fine," Daniel said, sweating a little.

Donghan made himself comfortable, and Daniel tilted his head so as to rest it just atop Donghan's. This was nice. The movie ended, and Donghan kept close to Daniel. Donghan and Jaehwan actually got into a passionate discussion about the plot of the movie, while Seongwoo and Daniel watched them with amusement.

Seongwoo glanced behind, and Daniel imitated him, and they shared a knowing look after noticing that Seongwoo's cousin was still busy making out with his boyfriend.

"Do you think they even paid attention to the movie?" Daniel laughed.

"Knowing Minhyun, I'm not sure. When he's with Jisung, he gets into that over romantic mood and he tends to forget about his surroundings," Seongwoo gently mocked.

"I wouldn't pay for a ticket to the movies to make out with my boyfriend," Daniel snickered. Seongwoo joined him in his laughter, and because the credits were ending, they all got up to leave. They walked to the nearest bus stop, but separated there, as Jaehwan and Seongwoo were taking one bus and Daniel and Donghan another.

 

Once in the bus, Daniel felt more comfortable with Donghan, and they made some chit-chat until Donghan asked a dangerous question.

“So, was tonight sort of a double date?”

Daniel choked, and suddenly felt very hot.

“Err, I-I didn’t think of it as a double date, I mean, Seongwoo and Jaewhan were definitely on a date but I don’t know if I can say so about us-”

The teasing glint in Donghan’s eyes made Daniel think that Donghan had actually made him walk into a trap and was currently highly enjoying seeing him so flustered. Donghan snickered.

“It’s fine.”

Daniel tilted his head.

“It’s fine if it was a date. I don’t mind.”

Daniel blushed, and nodded.

“Then… it was a date,” he replied in a small voice.

Donghan laughed loudly, and apologized when some people in the bus glared at him. Daniel felt soft seeing him laugh and look so happy, and decided to do anything to make him keep his smile.

* * *

More dates happened in the span of the month following their meeting, and at the end of each, Daniel found himself growing fonder and fonder of Donghan, and maybe slightly in love. Finally, a day came where Daniel decided to confess. He didn’t know if it was real love yet, but for sure, he had feelings for Donghan, and would very much like to date him and call him his boyfriend. He figured feelings could develop once they would be dating for real.

Donghan was definitely more comfortable with him, and most of the time he was actually the one initiating skinship. He was someone who was very cuddly, he had told Daniel, and Daniel didn’t mind.

Today, they were sitting side by side on Donghan’s couch, chatting as music clips played on the TV in the background. They were sitting quite close, and as Donghan was talking about that one singer he liked, Daniel was staring at him, a little hazed. Donghan stopped talking, and there was a short silence as they stared at each other. Daniel hesitated, but leaned forward and pressed his lips against Donghan’s. He hoped that he hadn’t fucked up things, but was proven wrong as Donghan circled his neck with his arms and kissed him back.

Daniel wasted no time hugging his waist, and opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, loving the way Donghan’s body felt against his. It felt so good to finally taste Donghan’s lips after a month of dreaming to kiss him, and it was as perfect and as soft as he had imagined. One of Donghan’s hands went in his hair, messing with the already unruly blond mass, and Daniel shivered at how nice this felt.

“I love you,” Daniel whispered against Donghan’s lips briefly before kissing him again.

Donghan froze, and Daniel felt it. He broke away, even shuffled a little so that they had their respective spaces, and felt his heart break seeing Donghan’s expression.

His mouth was a little swollen because of their kissing, but his lower lip was trembling, and his pupils were shaking, avoiding Daniel’s gaze.

“I… Sorry Daniel, I can’t give you what you want,” Donghan said, wiping his mouth, “sorry for giving you the wrong signs, I can’t.”

His words activated gears in Daniel’s mind, which suddenly replayed all the times Donghan had looked uncomfortable because they were getting closer. He had a hunch something had happened to Donghan before, and that it wasn’t that Donghan didn’t like him, but that something was scaring him and preventing him from confessing back. Daniel wiped his own mouth, and nodded. He didn’t want to push Donghan. Maybe they could talk about it later. Daniel really wanted to try and fix whatever it was that had made Donghan feel this way, because he genuinely liked him.

“Could we stop seeing each other?” Donghan asked.

He had curled up on himself, hiding his face away from Daniel, and Daniel could tell he needed time to himself.

“Of course, if it’s better for you. You can always call me if you ever need me.”

Daniel blinked quickly to prevent his tears from falling down, found his jacket and left Donghan’s apartment. The moment he stepped into the elevator, his tears started rolling on his cheeks, and he hastily wiped them. He had to wait until he was home to break down.

When he got into the elevator of his own building, he called Seongwoo, his hands trembling so much he had to try twice. Seongwoo picked up quickly, fortunately.

“Seongwoo, could you please come?” Daniel asked, focusing on trying not to sob.

“Of course, what’s wrong?” Seongwoo asked back, worriedly.

“I saw Donghan this afternoon and it didn’t end well.”

Seongwoo was quite sensitive and Daniel knew they could read each other well, so he didn’t say more.

“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

There was a soft rap on Donghan’s door, which barely surprised him. He raised his left hand and articulated a quick spell, unlocking it from his couch, and he went back to crying while hiding his face. The door opened, revealing his best friend, Kenta, holding two plastic bags.

Kenta first headed to the kitchen to drop the bags, and then went to Donghan, sitting next to him.

“Everything will be fine,” Kenta told him in a soothing voice, which only made Donghan cry harder.

“It won’t,” Donghan sobbed, “I fucked up everything.”

“I’m sure you didn’t,” Kenta said, petting his hair.

“Which part of “I don’t want to see you anymore” doesn’t sound like a fuck up to you?” Donghan said, sounding annoyed.

But Kenta was not startled. He merely grinned at Donghan, and went to the kitchen before coming back with some snacks. He got a pack of tissues from his pocket and gave the whole thing to Donghan, whose eyes were red and swollen.

“Blow your nose, clean your face, I got you snacks.”

“Thanks dad,” Donghan said, deadpanned.

“Okay, now tell me everything. No, actually eat first, tell me after.”

Once he had pretty much force-fed Donghan too much sugar, Kenta patted his thighs, and encouraged him to let everything out.

“-and then, we stared at each other and he kissed me, and it felt really nice but also I was so scared, and he went “I love you” and I...”

Donghan looked down.

“It’s like my brain shut down. I almost had a panic attack. I could barely breathe. I told him I couldn’t give him what he wanted, and I told him I didn’t want to see him anymore.”

“What did he answer?”

“He said okay to not seeing each other if it was better for me, and told me to give him a call if I wanted to talk again.”

“Well, doesn’t he sound sweet?” Kenta said.

“He’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met,” Donghan whined, “that’s my issue.”

“That’s not the real issue, though,” Kenta said.

Donghan didn’t look up. Kenta munched on some chips, and hugged Donghan’s shoulders.

“If you like him that much, I think it’d be good to explain to him why you reacted that way.”

“I don’t… you know I don’t want to go through that whole thing again.”

“I know. But it’s different with him, isn’t it? I know you can tell. Even I can tell and I haven’t even met him.”

Donghan nodded very slowly. Kenta grinned at him.

“You don’t have to want a relationship, but I can tell you want it. Wouldn’t it be sad to miss on dating him, if he’s a good one? You can take it slowly at first, set up limits, and see how it goes. See how he treats you, and if it works out, then, perfect!”

“Are you saying that out of experience or is it all made up?” Donghan said, hiding his face in Kenta’s neck.

“The circumstances that have unfortunately led me to dating Sanggyun are, I’m afraid, very different from yours,” Kenta snickered, “but it’s all out of wisdom.”

“I guess being old does have its perks,” Donghan sighed, and Kenta forced a smile.

“I’m letting this slide because you’re not at your best today,” Kenta said.

Donghan merely cuddled tighter to him, sniffling.

“Honestly, go talk to him. You don’t have to do it today, but explain why you reacted this way, and I’m sure he’ll get it.”

“Okay,” Donghan said in a small voice.

Kenta sighed, and offered that they watched a movie for Donghan to cheer up. Donghan agreed, and he got so into it he obviously forgot about his heartache.

 

He and Kenta had a light dinner as they kept watching the movie, and finally, it was late at night and Kenta had to go back.

"Thank you for coming," Donghan said.

"You're very welcome," Kenta grinned.

"Say hi to Sanggyun for me."

"Sure," and Donghan snickered at how bright Kenta looked at the mention of his boyfriend and roommate.

"By the way, Donghan, I know today was not the day to talk about it, but... You're not actually keeping a dragon in your apartment, right?"

Donghan's smile froze.

"Of... Course not."

"Right," Kenta forced a smile.

Donghan was about to add something when a loud roar came from his room, which had remained locked the entire time Kenta had been there.

"Kim Donghan," Kenta said in a sickeningly sweet tone, "you do know that according the to the magical legislation that applies to shared zones with no-powers, wizards or any being possessing powers are not allowed to own familiar such as dragons – which are not even familiars in the first place except if you consider dragons kept in wild areas-"

"Thank you SO MUCH for today," Donghan interrupted, already articulating the spell to lock his door in his mind, "you really are my best friend!! Bye!!"

He slammed the door, and ignored Kenta calling his name.

"Phew."

He went to his room, and opened the door. Immediately, a small black dragon flew, smoke coming out of his nostrils.

"Hi, are you perhaps hungry?"

The dragon roared, and Donghan smiled.

"Sorry, I couldn't let you out while he was here. It's a wonder the spell worked and that he didn't notice you!"

The dragon seemed more interested by the perspective of getting fed and not so much by Donghan's ramblings about his magic, so he roared again.

"Okay, okay," Donghan said.

Time to feed his pet.

* * *

Donghan wouldn't exactly describe himself as brave, but he guessed that the fact that he was willingly walking to Daniel's apartment to apologize and explain himself could be categorized as brave.

"You got this," he whispered to himself. He was halfway there and waking through a square when he caught sight of the object of his thoughts. Daniel was here with Seongwoo, and both were chatting, sitting on a bench. Donghan gulped down. He had 0 doubts that Daniel had probably explained everything to Seongwoo, and he was about to make a clown of himself by walking in after such a dramatic rejection.

"You gotta," Donghan whispered to himself, "c'mon Donghan, you've fought demons and you'd be afraid of talking to the guy you like?"

Determined to make things right, he took a first step towards Daniel and Seongwoo. He barely had time to do so that the ground and sky started trembling. His instinct immediately told him that this was not natural and had to do with magic, and he braced himself. He was already calculating how to save the people from a possible threat when he stopped, clearly seeing what had caused this.

His dragon was there, having just landed on a building, but that wasn't so shocking compared to what had truly changed: his dragon had become enormous, as gigantic as those dragons which still lived in the wild forests or in other worlds. Donghan had no idea how come his had become so huge, and how he had left his apartment either. But one thing was clear, it was only seconds away before everyone noticed it.

He barely had time to think of a spell to hide the beast that lightning struck the center of the square, and a guy wearing a long cape and a sword appeared. Donghan recognized him as Jisung, whose boyfriend Minhyun he had freed from a spell, and rushed to him. If he also had magical powers, then his best bet was to talk to him before he did anything to his dragon.

"Hey," Donghan called him out.

Jisung turned, frowning, and sounded annoyed as he answered.

"Could you please not talk to me?"

It was Donghan's turn to frown, then he understood that because of the emergency of the situation, Jisung might have not recognized him.

"I'm Donghan, I'm a wizard, and that dragon is mine," Donghan explained quickly.

Jisung's eyes widened, and he exploded.

"Are you kidding me?! That thing comes from at least the sixth circle of Hell and it's fucking huge! Just how much of an idiot are you to keep it here?!"

"Look, he's a domestic dragon-" Donghan tried to defend himself, but Jisung cut him.

"Someone like you could never tame a creature from Hell, stupid! If he goes berserk you'll have more than the magical legislation on your back, trust me!"

"Okay, stop yelling, I'm going to make him disappear from the no-powers' view," Donghan snapped.

Jisung was unnerving, to say the least. Donghan still had no idea what he was, but he didn't like him. Plus, if Jisung had powers, how come he hadn't made that barrier around Minhyun disappear himself back then? For now, though, with Jisung fuming next to him, Donghan couldn't remember the invisibility spell, and his dragon was visibly started to get bored. It got worse when people started noticing the beast, and Jisung swore in a language Donghan had never heard.

"Since you're fucking useless, I'm gonna at least cover up the area with a shield," Jisung said, and he created a spell in a few seconds.

A magical barrier built itself up around the square and the dragon merely looked at it curiously.

 

Despite the chaos around him, Donghan tried to remember what he could've done for his dragon to get this big, when it suddenly downed on him. Yesterday, when feeding him, he must have mixed the usual food with a growing spell, and the effects were now showing. He had no doubts they would fade in a few hours, but for now, he had to do something. The invisibility spell came back to his mind, and he cast it on his giant pet, who was still unmoving. Jisung, next to him, was visibly nervous, and Donghan glared at him.

"You can leave if you're going to be that annoying."

"Oh, sure, and let no-powers get hurt because you're an irresponsible wizard fraud?" Jisung shot, cynic.

"I'm not a fraud!" Donghan shot back, growing more and more annoyed.

"Who else than a clueless fraud would raise a monster from Hell in a city?" Jisung spat, "look, I'm a Keeper, I know very well what Hell demons are, and yours is a monstrous beast. You're batshit crazy to have even brought it to this world."

Donghan frowned, and even more as Jisung took his sword out.

"It has to be sent back to Hell," Jisung said, firmly, and Donghan froze.

"No, you can't do that!"

"I can and I will," Jisung said, but he didn't have time to jump as he had planned to that both their names were called out.

"Jisung!!"

That was Minhyun's voice.

"Wait, Donghan!"

Daniel.

 

Jisung froze. Donghan wasn't feeling much better, if he was perfectly honest. He glanced at his dragon, who was moving around, as if trying to find a better position on the building on which he had settled. Calculating he might have a few seconds, maybe even minutes before his pet tried to do anything, he slowly turned to face the duo.

Both Minhyun and Daniel seemed worried beyond words, and Donghan could immediately tell that his invisibility spell had worked because neither were looking up. Besides, it was kind of funny, but Minhyun had only eyes for Jisung, as though he hadn't seen either Daniel or Donghan. Donghan felt more than he saw Jisung shrink at the sight of his boyfriend, but now was not the time to worry about the couple: he had to tell Daniel to get away from here, and quick.

"Look, I can't explain everything, but basically I made a mess and I'm trying to fix it. Could you please get out of here as fast as you can? I promise I'll explain when it's over," Donghan pleaded. He wanted to trust that Daniel would wait for him a tiny bit more. Daniel opened his mouth, but closed it, and nodded.

"Okay, I trust you then."

Donghan sighed in relief, and gasped when Daniel got close enough to peck his lips before he left. Donghan stayed in shock a few seconds, and slapped his own cheeks with both hands. He didn't need to worry about Daniel.

Now, his pet.

  
Things weren't going so great on Jisung and Minhyun's side. The moment Minhyun had called out his name, Jisung had known he was fucked. Actually, even before that, the moment he had disappeared before Minhyun and Minhyun's mother very no-powers eyes because he had felt a disturbance in the atmosphere due to a demonic presence, he had known that his cover of regular human had blown up.

He would've loved not to be near the place where that damn dragon had appeared, but he had been, and because of his status as a Keeper, he had to intervene. Right now, he was torn between reassuring his boyfriend (and telling him to get away like Donghan had done) or maybe erasing his memories (even though that wasn't a good thing to do) or even casting a spell to make him leave.

He did none of these things, because the moment he was about to speak up, Donghan’s dragon roared and coughed. Jisung looked up at the beast with worry, all the more as the dragon kept coughing, as if he had something stuck in his throat. Jisung knew too well that if that was the case, the dragon would probably try and get rid of it by breathing either fire or demonic energy, which in any case would be dangerous. He shared a look with Donghan, who looked just as worried. They were running out of time.

“Get the fuck away from here, now”, Jisung told Minhyun, and he immediately hated how hurt and confused Minhyun seemed.

“What’s wrong? I don’t understand what’s happening-”

“Get away,” Jisung repeated, “or I’ll make you.”

“Jisung-”

Jisung understood this wouldn’t do. So, while apologizing to Minhyun internally, he articulated a spell in his mind and sent him away, back to his mother.

Now, he would be able to take care of that coughing dragon with Donghan.

 

“We don’t have much time before the people from the local magic enforcement unit arrive,” Jisung told Donghan, “do you know of any teleportation spell that could be powerful enough to send him somewhere else than here?”

Donghan noted with appreciation that Jisung sounded more polite, albeit a bit stressed.

“Didn’t you just use a teleportation spell?” Donghan asked, wondering why Jisung wanted him to use one.

“I have limited powers in the human world,” Jisung gritted his teeth, “I won’t have enough magic to use it on that monster.”

“Okay. I can think of something, but if the magic enforcement arrives, I won’t be able to focus properly. Can you give me some time?”

“You’ll have thirty seconds,” Jisung answered curtly.

An insane amount of magic suddenly emanated from him, and the time suddenly stopped. Donghan gaped as he realized that the Keeper next to him had stopped life around them for real, and Jisung groaned in pain.

“Hurry up and get your spell ready, I can’t hold it for too long!”

Donghan snapped back into reality at that. He glanced at Jisung, curious about the tattoos that were appearing on his arms, but focused and mentally prepared himself for the spell. He breathed in and out, slowly, and raised his hands. Concentrating his mind on nothing but his magic, Donghan articulated the words required for his teleportation spell, and released his magic barely a few seconds from the moment Jisung’s own magic ran out. There was a huge cloud of smoke that disappeared slowly, and neither Jisung, Donghan or the dragon were there anymore.

* * *

They reappeared shortly after on top of a hill covered by trees, in the midst of woods. Jisung let himself fall back to the trunk of a tree, exhausted, while Donghan tried to help his dragon and made sure he wouldn’t suddenly light up the forest by breathing fire. The beast eventually managed to calm down his coughing fit, and, happy to be in the midst of nowhere with so much free space, left the two young men to go fly.

Donghan watched him go, and sighed in relief. He had no idea where they had arrived, but at least, they were safe, and his dragon could roam in the area for a few hours without bothering anyone. He turned to Jisung, and gasped as he saw his tattoos slowly disappear. His magical outfit vanished, as well as his sword, and soon he was back into regular clothes. Donghan was about to speak when Jisung buried his face in his hands and burst into tears.

Donghan got worried, and approached him.

“Hey,” he gently called out, but Jisung made a motion to shoo him away.

“Leave me alone,” he sobbed, and Donghan thought that indeed, it might be best for now.

Leaving his companion to himself, he wandered further into the forest, and immersed into his thoughts.

 

He came back an hour later, and noticed that Jisung had calmed down. He was still sitting against that trunk, but at least, he wasn’t crying anymore. His eyes were rimmed with red and swollen, and he was looking exhausted. Donghan carefully sat near him, almost facing him.

“I’m sorry about the dragon, I must have fed him something wrong and it all got out of control.”

Jisung didn’t answer. Donghan bit his lower lip, and decided to let his curiosity take over.

“Are you okay? You didn’t look well.”

Jisung sighed, very loudly, and buried his face in his knees, which he had brought against his chest. When he spoke up, it was barely audible, but Donghan listened closely.

“My boyfriend’s family are no-powers, and his parents are especially anti-magic. The first time I visited them, I was planning on telling them and Minhyun about my powers, but I quickly understood that keeping a low profile would be best. I don’t know about Minhyun because I was never brave enough to bring it up with him, but his family hates magic – and they didn’t like me much in the first place anyway. When he got cursed by that witch, it was in my capacities to cancel the spell, but I didn’t want to risk blowing my cover. But today,” he paused to take a deep breathe, “today, we were with his mother, and the moment I felt that dragon, it was stronger than me, I used my powers. So not only does he know, but his mother also knows, and that’s definitely going to give her a reason to hate me even more, and I probably just ruined my whole relationship with Minhyun too-”

Donghan felt bad as Jisung started crying again, and desperately tried to think of something that could help him feel better.

The solution unexpectedly came in the form of his dragon, who suddenly landed between them. He had shrunk back to his normal size, that is to say, that of a baby, and to Donghan’s surprise, was holding two apples between his front legs. He made one roll to Donghan, and the other to Jisung.

“Jisung,” Donghan called out, “look!”

Jisung wiped his tears, and stared at the apple. The dragon made a happy noise, and got closer to him.

“He wants to be petted,” Donghan informed him.

Jisung did so with an obvious hesitation, but the dragon seemed to purr and only rubbed himself against him more, until Jisung had accepted him in his lap, where he curled up.

“Sorry,” Donghan apologized again, “I guess you’re right, it was kind of dangerous and irresponsible to have a dragon in my room.”

“No shit,” Jisung rolled his eyes, “I told you I’m a Keeper, do you know what that means?”

“You’re affiliated to Hell,” Donghan replied, “I don’t remember anything else.”

“Keepers are one kind of Hell guardians, we’re not exactly demons but we’re not angels either and we’re not humans, it’s kind of complex. You can find us up to the first ten circles, and we’re also in charge of the demonic beasts such as your dragon,” Jisung completed.

“Dude, why are you even in the human world then?” Donghan asked, dumbfounded.

“I moved there with my parents because they liked it here, so we live half here, half back home.”

“And you fell in love with a human, and a no-powers on top of that,” Donghan snorted.

At that, Jisung blushed deeply, and coughed.

“Look, I didn’t choose to,” Jisung tried to defend himself, “aren’t you also dating a no-powers anyway too?” he shot back.

“We’re not officially dating, but we will soon,” Donghan said, feeling happy with himself that he could now admit that.

Jisung’s smile disappeared.

“I highly doubt I can still refer to Minhyun as my boyfriend anymore.”

Donghan tilted his head.

“How long have you been dating?”

“Almost three years.”

Donghan gaped.

“It’s fine then, even if you’ve hidden your identity as a Keeper. I’m sure he loves you tons and that it won’t suddenly change because of an incident. And if his parents say anything, tell me, I’ll scare them into accepting you. Oh, I know, even better, I can fake attacking their house and you’ll defend them and they’ll be forced into accepting you-”

“Okay, stop right there, you’re crazy”, Jisung cut him, and Donghan laughed loudly.

“I’ve never been called crazy,” Donghan said, wiping his tears of laughter, “but for sure, you should go see him and talk to him. That’s what I’m gonna do with Daniel, because I don’t want to lose what I have with him.”

Jisung observed him curiously, and nodded.

“I didn’t take you for the kind of guy who’d be so good at encouraging others, but I guess I was wrong. I’ll talk to Minhyun and see what we can do together.”

Donghan clapped.

 

“And now?” Jisung asked, “don’t tell me we’re stuck in the middle of nowhere. Are still on Earth, at least?”

“We’re on Earth,” Donghan confirmed, “I don’t know where,” he admitted, sheepishly.

“You can teleport to places you’ve never been before?” Jisung asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m, err, what you might call very clumsy, so it’s possible that with my natural tendency to mess up and the stress, I might have cast the spell wrongly.”

Jisung sighed.

“Can you teleport us back?”

“I’ve ran out of magic,” Donghan whined.

“I’m completely K.O. too so I guess we’re fucked.”

“Maybe not?” Donghan said.

Jisung looked at him.

“My best friend actually works for magical laws enforcement, so he might look for me. And if he finds me, he’ll find all three of us.”

“Your best friend works for the government and you had the nerve to raise a Hell creature in your room?” Jisung said, in disbelief, “at this point, I’m not even sure if you’re plain stupid or hella brave with a hint of complete craziness.”

Donghan grinned.

“You might wanna blame that on my parents, we’re exorcists on my mom’s side and wizards on my dad’s.”

“You’re worst than me, and I come from Hell,” Jisung shook his head.

 

They ate their apples and made some small talk, and the sun was setting when suddenly, a blue portal appeared out of thin air. A young man stepped outside, and Donghan recognized him as his best friend’s boyfriend, Sanggyun.

“Hi!” Donghan grinned.

“Hello,” Sanggyun greeted in a sing-song voice.

He stepped aside, and Kenta came out from the portal, frowning. Sanggyun helped Donghan get up, and helped Jisung as well. Sanggyun squealed when seeing Donghan’s dragon, and Donghan smiled seeing that his pet was happy to be held by his fellow wizard.

“May I know the reason you’re so happy after fucking up like that?” Kenta asked.

Jisung sent a look to Donghan, as if saying “see, I told you,”.

“It’s because I’m happy to see you and Sanggyun,” Donghan replied.

“Look at how adorable his dragon is!” Sanggyun added, and Kenta was obviously weak facing both his smiling boyfriend and best friend.

Kenta sighed audibly.

“Let’s just go home, we’ll see what we can do about your punishment later.”

Donghan helped Jisung stay up by letting him lean on him, and checked that Sanggyun was holding his pet. Sanggyun winked, and Donghan sent him a thumbs up. All of them stepped through the portal, and went back to the city.

* * *

A few hours later and Jisung went back to his apartment, feeling dead tired. He was ready for a shower and a whole day of sleeping, after which he’ll brace himself and go talk to Minhyun. He was afraid for his and his boyfriend’s future, but right now, he had to take care of himself.

He showered quickly, and swore when he realized he hadn’t dropped by his room to get clean clothes. He headed there to change and drop on his bed, but he froze when seeing that there was already someone in his bed. It took him seconds to recognize that it was obviously Minhyun, who was sleeping on his side while holding Jisung’s pillow against his chest.

Jisung first changed into pajamas, and went in his bed. There, he stared at Minhyun, and wondered about waking him up. He didn’t feel up for the long, heart to heart conversation that they should have, but at the same time, going to sleep when his boyfriend looked like he had cried himself to sleep didn’t seem right either.

“Baby,” he called out gently, caressing Minhyun’s hair.

Minhyun jolted awake.

“Jisung!” he exclaimed before hugging him.

Jisung let himself be hugged, and embraced him back, feeling awful that Minhyun seemed on the verge of crying again.

“I’m sorry-” Jisung started, but Minhyun cut him off.

“Don’t, it’s fine. I don’t care, you can explain everything later. I love you more than anything and I’ll always love you.”

It was Jisung’s turn to feel like crying. He nodded in Minhyun’s chest, and hugged him as tightly as he could.

“I love you too,” Jisung answered, and Minhyun kissed him.

“Go to sleep, we’ll talk tomorrow,” Minhyun instructed, nuzzling their noses and pecking his lips, “I love you.”

Jisung fell asleep right away, in his lover’s arms, and his heart was at peace.

* * *

At the same moment Jisung had gone home, Donghan had done the same, but it was merely to shower and eat before heading to Daniel’s place. Contrary to the Keeper, the wizard was wide awake, and wanted to settle things as soon as possible. He wanted Daniel, desperately so.

He found himself before Daniel’s door, knocking on it with anxiety. Daniel opened quickly, and smiled brightly when seeing him.

“Come in,” Daniel said, and Donghan stepped inside timidly.

They went into Daniel’s room and sat face to face on his bed, and Daniel held his hands, gently caressing their backs with his thumbs.

“Do you wanna talk first?” Daniel asked, and Donghan nodded.

“I’ll start with the beginning. You might have noticed that at first, I was feeling uncomfortable with you, right? I don’t mind getting into relationships, but I’ve had many bad to really bad experiences with quite a few people I dated, ever since middle school. I wasn’t thinking of my powers as a way to show off, but pretty much everyone that I went out with only want to do so because it was “cool” to be with a wizard. No one ever cared to get to know me, and that even until my last girlfriend last year. So I decided not to date anymore, but when I met you I… immediately thought you were really cute and totally my type. So I was lost.”

Daniel nodded, and cupped his cheeks before kissing his forehead.

“Go on,” he encouraged Donghan.

“It was especially bad because you’re a no-powers and you were easily impressed by whatever I did-”

“Hold on,” Daniel cut him, “no-powers?”

Donghan wanted to laugh at how insulted he was looking.

“That’s what we call regular humans. You can’t feel magic, you can’t see fantastical beings, you just don’t have any affinity with our world.”

Daniel huffed, but let him continue.

“Now you know why I panicked and rejected you, but now that I had time to think about it, I came to the conclusion that I really wanna try dating you, and I’d love it if we could be boyfriends.”

Daniel smiled.

“We’re dating now,” he cheered, and Donghan laughed, “can you just tell me about what happened earlier?”

“Err, basically, I had a dragon in my room, he grew to his adult form because I messed up a spell, and I had to get him away from there until he could go back to his regular form.”

Daniel giggled.

“Okay. I’d love to hear more later, but for now, I think we could do something nicer.”

“Something nicer like?”

Daniel leaned in and kissed him fully on the mouth.

“Something nicer like this,” he whispered before pressing his lips against Donghan’s again.

Donghan answered his kiss, and soon they were making out on Daniel’s bed, gently caressing each other.

“Love you,” Donghan eventually said as they were hugging each other.

“Love you more,” Daniel giggled, “I can’t wait to discover what’s it’s like dating you.”

Donghan laughed, and sighed.

“It should be a little chaotic. But I’ll do my best to make it magical.”

Daniel smiled tenderly at him. Donghan reciprocated his smile, and they agreed to go to sleep.

As he kissed Daniel’s forehead and wished him to have sweet dreams, Donghan thought that maybe, he had found his true happiness now.


End file.
